Trump in a single gaggle on Air Force One just threatened: -- a second strike against Venezuela -- Cuba -- Mexico -- Colombia -- Iran -- Greenland (which in turn would be an attack on the EU and Denmark)

To get a perspective from a Venezuelan on what’s happening, we went to this post from @wearemitu.bsky.social who we follow on TT. We had to break it into 2 videos to fit the three minute limit here on Bluesky. This provides a great brief history on Venezuela and oil as well as their politics

So many in media are ill-equipped to interview officials about what’s happening because they begin with the presumption of legitimacy and don’t know enough about history or U.S. foreign policy to foment intelligent pushback and hold officials accountable.

Another blow for truth from @naomioreskes.bsky.social and colleagues. A great story from @hirokotabuchi.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/c...

President Donald Trump is moving to block states from erasing medical debt from credit reports, reversing consumer protections and keeping millions burdened by bills they can’t afford. open.substack.com/pub/theintel...

Derlis Chusin, an 11th grader spent more than a month in ICE detention, a teenager who was put in detention with adults in his bunk! Here he is thankfully being reunited with his family. Imagine if this were your child. Speak out against #ICELawlessness Call Congress at 202-224-3121.

Jack Smith Deposition quotes

STEPHANOPOULOS: Trump said the US is going to 'run Venezuela.' Under what legal authority? RUBIO: We want a better future for the people of Venezuela STEPHANOPOULOS: I'll ask again -- what is the legal authority? RUBIO: We have court orders

I keep reposting this but www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Sen. Chris Murphy: "Donald Trump's entire foreign policy is corrupt. Russia, the Middle East, and now Venezuela is all about making money for his friends. Wall Street and the oil industry can make a lot of money off of Venezuela if they run it."

Another galling example of this: It's been said that Trump's hatred of the "deep state" is rooted in hatred of its "warmongering." But Trump hates the deep state because it tried to hold him accountable for his crimes and because a professional civil service is a barrier to authoritarian corruption!

The idea that Trump-MAGA are "anti-interventionist" is based on a confused reading of their hatred of multilateralism and international law and institutions. I argued this during Iran bombing debate (h/t @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social and @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social): newrepublic.com/article/1969...

Himes: "If you were serious about stability in Venezuela, you wouldn't have spent half your press conference talking about oil. What do Venezuelans hears when they hear Donald Trump talking about oil? That the Americans are here for our resources."

Very hard to determine why this happened when the principals just ad lib a new reasoning for it every time they're asked

I often get asked why markets aren’t more freaked out by Trumpism. Here are a few theories, including: are you sure they *aren’t*? open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...

MAGA's supposed "anti-interventionism" is actually pro-pillage and pro-plunder.

So for months they have tried to blame the entire fentanyl crisis on Venezuela and the indictment only mentions cocaine, which they pardoned a different guy for weeks ago

"US is in breach of the United Nations charter Article 2(4) and has committed the crime of aggression. UN can impose sanctions which US can avoid by vetoing it. It is likely it will fall to Keir Starmer to stand up for the Nuremberg principles, to condemn Trump." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Inflation is destroying America Millions are losing health insurance The Epstein files exposed how the inequities in our legal system favor the rich And Jack Smith’s deposition shows the extent of Trump’s crimes Seems like a great time to distract us by starting an illegal war against Venezuela

New euphemism for "bottomless corruption and naked abuses of power" just dropped

As a friend points out: Turns out Nicholas Maduro’s biggest crime was being more newsworthy than the Epstein Files

If ever there were a time you might want a separate but equal branch of the United States government to run a check on the president, it would be now ….

"Fascists strive impotently for a bigness the shrunken aspirations of their soul can never reach. Fascism is the banal dream of tiny men and deserves its place in the sewage of history." Good @mattpolprof.bsky.social on fascism's hatred of left, relevant now: www.currentaffairs.org/news/why-fas...

Our most-read story of 2025: Outraged by the Jan. 6 riot, a vigilante spent years undercover climbing the ranks of right-wing militias. He didn’t tell police or the FBI. He didn’t tell family or friends. The one person he told was a ProPublica reporter.

The first "CBS Evening News" episode anchored by Tony Dokoupil included virtually zero scrutiny of Trump's military intervention in Venezuela or questions about the legal justification. But there was a soft Pete Hegseth interview. Watch it for yourself: www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Rg...

The wife of one of Trump's closest advisors implies Trump will soon use the military to occupy Greenland and take it by force.

This intro could have come directly from the White House. Not an iota of skepticism or pushback, just rah-rah.

he's just gonna keep doing illegal shit as long as everyone keeps letting him

It’s hard to believe a president would time an illegal military attack to distract the public’s attention, but today is the statutory deadline for DOJ to release its report on the Epstein file production. Maybe it is just a coincidence.

Strongly agree with @winwithoutwar.bsky.social: “Violence abroad and deprivation at home are all this administration has to offer the world. When the dust clears from this made-for-social-media spectacle, lives will have been unnecessarily lost, families in Venezuela will… (1/2)

Rep. Seth Moulton comes on CNN and starts by saying: "Is anyone going to just stop for a second and be honest? This is insane. What the hell are we doing? We've got a lot of problems in America today, and invading / occupying / running Venezuela does not solve any of them."

I didn’t think it was possible to be a worse Secretary of State than Rex Tillerson, until Mike Pompeo came along. And I didn’t think it was possible to be a worse Secretary of State than Mike Pompeo, but Marco Rubio is sure as hell trying as hard as he can.

It’s 1990, I’m 1 years old, and the republican president of the US is attacking a petrol state It’s 2004, I’m 15 years old, and the republican president of the US is attacking a petrol state It’s 2026, I’m 37 years old, and the republican president of the US is attacking a petrol state

Truly Trumpian grift. Insider trading on an illegal invasion.

Yes, this is exactly the time to demand Democrats "do something." They can denounce Trump's actions as unconstitutional. They can state that he must be impeached and removed. They can make clear that all involved will be held accountable. These are the core duties of a role they all signed up for.

Cancer research costs too much but we have the money to run Venezuela

A high-ranking official in the Interior Department is drawing scrutiny from ethics experts because she failed to disclose her family’s financial interest in the nation’s largest lithium mine that had been approved by her agency, according to state and federal records.

Along with so much else, Trump, Miller, Rubio, Hegseth and Ratcliffe are lying to us about Venezuelan history—they didn't steal our land or oil—but they're confident their base is too stupid to know that and too venal to care, and in *that* they're correct

"Trump thrives on the ineffectiveness of his opponents. The operation in Venezuela is a warning that Trump’s imperial ambitions are growing. An ineffective anti-Trump movement is an indulgence American democracy cannot afford or accept." - @davidfrum.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

And there ya have it… Officials from top Wall Street firms will be traveling to Venezuela to investigate “investment prospects” of the country. “The trip will feature about 20 officials from the finance, energy and defense sectors.”

"I despise Nicolás Maduro, and he has long needed to be removed and held accountable for his atrocities. But the consequences to come from Trump’s illegal actions in the dead of night will not be worth it."

Members of Congress: stop posting online and APPEAR, PHYSICALLY on the steps of the Capitol to decry this unconstitutional violation of domestic & international law. SHOW THE PEOPLE the level of danger we are facing as a country. @housedemocrats.bsky.social @senatedemocrats.bsky.social

News: Gang of Eight in Congress were only notified about Trump's Venezuela operation after it began, source familiar tells me. That means the heads of the Intelligence Committees in Senate and House were *not* consulted. Just crazy.

Maduro was a brutal repressive dictator who destroyed Venezuela. Trump did not have congressional or UN approval to engage in unilateral regime change. Trump's actions were illegal. All of those things can be true at the same time. Don't let them make this about Maduro.

"I’m going to walk y’all through why this is very bad, and I’ll attempt to make it as clear as possible to outline the unnecessary risks and complications Trump is now forcing upon our country and the people of Venezuela and international stability."

The USA isn’t a country anymore. Just a handful of evil people and a compliant media and populace.

try to make sense of it

Ah, the fucking hypocrisy.

Jan 1. Jan 3.